Publication day: Stories from the Edge

The Edge is proud to announce that our anthology of eight short stories, Stories from the Edge, written by eight award-winning UK YA authors with the aim of entertaining, enticing and educating, is now available to buy from Amazon, Albury books, or Browns Books for Students.

Buy the book from Amazon

Buy the book from Albury Books

We wanted our anthology to be both something that teens can dip in and out of for fun, as well as something that could be used as an educational tool in the classroom. Therefore, alongside our stories, which cover issues such as internet safety, bereavement, terrorism, racism and drug taking, we have produced teaching notes (including discussion points and facts), which are available to download for free.

Stories from The Edge isn't afraid to ask some big questions. Sometimes frightening, often funny, always brutally honest, these stories will take you to where the shadows are darkest and the ground drops away. The question is, are you prepared to look over the edge?

For more information on each story, do follow our blog tour. In our first one, on July 19^th, Bryony Pearce tells YA Yeah Yeah exactly why she chose to write about Internet safety.

We hope you enjoy reading our stories as much as we enjoyed writing them.

Do contact us if you would like more information.

The Edge.

Something's Coming From the Edge...

Over the last year the Edge authors have been working on a very exciting idea! 

It was an idea that grabbed us all. It made us think about writing in a different form, a form that might be interesting and exciting for us as well as teen readers, young adult readers, schools, libraries, and pretty much anyone who loves to read teen or young adult fiction.

We've almost reached the final stages of taking the original idea and developing it into something new and different.

Things we can tell you now:
There will be books!
There will be events!
There will be EIGHT stories!

But keep it under your hat for now.

Much more will be revealed later, so stay tuned...

Edge Authors TV Broadcasting Now!

The Edge are proud to announce that our brand new Edge Authors TV YouTube Channel is now live. 

Showing currently are nine Edge book trailers, a report from Sara Grant's tour of Germany, young readers discussing Hidden and The Long Weekend, plus the first instalment of videos from the recent Edge panel at the SCBWI Conference in November. 


The channel will be updated over the months to come with news, trailers, events videos and anything else we think might be of interest.


We hope you enjoy what's available so far. Let us know what you think and any ideas or requests for future Edge videos you may have. In the meantime, here's a taste of what's currently available. Thanks for watching!

Five Get Edgy in Winchester

This weekend five-eighths of The Edge will be appearing at the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Conference in Winchester. Bryony, Dave, Miriam, Paula and Sara will be on an Edge panel discussing current trends in YA and looking at the benefits and pitfalls of writing edgy fiction, as well as answering questions from the audience. The weekend will also see the first unveiling of the Edge Graffiti Wall. Delegates will be invited to write questions, comments, slogans and even draw pictures on the wall, which the panellists will then discuss during the session. Our authors are all looking forward to the event and have promised a couple of surprises, including the introduction of a new member of The Edge!

Photos and video evidence to follow on our return.

Latest news from The Edge

This week Edge author Dave Cousins provides a round-up of all the latest news from The Edge.

While you've been away basking in the sun with a good book (I hope!), here at The Edge we've been busy being edgy and getting ready for lots of activity towards the end of the year. Already confirmed for November are Edge authors at the Broxbourne heat of the Kid Lit Quiz and a Pulse Panel discussion at the SCBWI conference, plus lots more in the pipeline. So, what else have we been up to?

The very strokeable embossed cover for 15 Days!

I've spent most of the summer hidden away in my attic, fighting wasps and working on my next book for OUP. Meanwhile preparations for the publication of 15 Days Without a Head are picking up momentum. I received a very strokeable embossed cover proof in the post last week along with a stack of proof copies which have gone out to readers for review. I'm delighted to say that the response I've had so far has been fantastic, including this one from 14 year old Rewan Harper.

"This book is truly awesome! It has everything a good book needs. It is funny and witty, but with a serious edge giving the novel another layer. Excellently done!" 

For more reader reviews have a look at my new website.

Katie is delighted with a wonderful mention for Someone Else's Life in The Bookseller, under the heading of One to Watch: 

“A girl who discovers she was swapped at birth triggers an unstoppable chain of events in this riveting debut about families, relationships, and long-buried secrets. A really gripping family drama that reads like a Jodi Picoult for teens.” – The Bookseller. 

Katie is now also able to share the cover artwork for the US edition of Someone Else's Life, due out in February.

Apart from the recent publication of her third novel, Lia's Guide to Winning the Lottery, which is already picking up some great reviews, Keren is busy writing her next book. In the meantime When I was Joe continues to collect awards and accolades, featuring in the Waterstone's Summer Guide to Teenage Fiction for Boys, and winning the Wirral Paperback of the Year award.

Miriam has had a busy summer, so I'll let her tell you what she's been up to.

"I spent a lovely week on Hayling in August where Hidden is set and visited a lot of bookshops. I signed books in Portsmouth Waterstone's and Blackwells University Bookshop. Both shops are giving prominent display to the book. The Hayling bookshop had sold out and has just ordered another 20 copies and so has WordSouth in Havant. So I'll be off to do another signing later on.

Meanwhile I will be at the Havant Festival in September and I have been contacted by schools and librarians in Hampshire for other events. I've also been asked to join the author panel of the Portsmouth Literary Quiz next January. 

After a quiet week or two there have been several reviews of Hidden and an interview on book blogging sites this week. My editor meanwhile is finishing her final tweaks to the second novel in the cycle, Illegal (March 2012) and will be sending me cover ideas this week. I have also sent her the third book Stuffed (October 2012) for editing. Busy summer? I suppose so. But maybe that is because I have started a new novel set in London this time and on a very specialist and extremely edgy subject. No spoilers - you'll have to wait a while!"

Paula also has a lot of news to share.

"My thriller, The Truth About Celia Frost, was published by Usborne on 1st August 2011. After a fantastic launch at Waterstones in Nottingham and a wonderful ‘author’s dinner’ in London with reviewers and booksellers, I embarked on my first ever book tour. I loved every minute of getting to talk to students, YA book groups and fellow writers. I was delighted at how enthusiastic groups were; willing to discuss reading and writing and asking a load of insightful questions.

I’ve been bowled over by the response to Celia Frost from reviewers, booksellers and readers. I’ve even received a batch of lovely letters from a whole class who read the book in school and wanted to tell me how much they enjoyed it.

The Independent On Sunday chose the book as one of their summer reads describing it as ‘riveting’, Books For Keeps made it Book of the Week and LoveReading4Kids made it a Debut Book of the Month. Numerous reviews from the press and readers can be found on www.celiafrost.co.uk but below is a taster.

"A stunning psychological thriller for young adults." – BookTime

"A page-turning thriller that's impossible to put down." – LoveReading4Kids

"A gripping psychological thriller, mixing issues of ethics with a poignant coming-of-age story." – The Bookseller

"I am a 14 year girl and I thought this book was amazing. It was so unlike anything I have read before. The story twists and turns, every page reveals something new and unexpected. I would recommend this book to all teen readers who enjoy a good story and a fast paced thriller. But it is more than that; some of the issues in this novel have made me think, long after I finished the book. I give this book ten out of ten!" – Georgie James, Reader Review.

I’m also delighted to report that the audio rights for an unabridged reading of The Truth About Celia Frost have just been bought by AudioGo (BBC audio books). The audio book is due to be released on 1st December 2011.

I’m really looking forward to going over to Belfast and Dublin in September when I’ll be doing events and talking to readers about Celia Frost. The next few months are going to continue to be a busy and exciting time for me as I’m involved in various literary events around the country and I’m working hard on my second (stand-alone) thriller which needs to be delivered to Usborne quite soon.

Celia Frost is available in all good bookshops. If you are interested in keeping up with news about Celia Frost’s progress then she’s on facebook, twitter and has her own webpage at www.celiafrost.co.uk

Sara's debut novel Dark Parties is now out in the US and received a great review in the May issue of the American Library Association's Booklist.

"It's really the heart-pounding rush of twists that will induce extreme page turning."

Also check out the great Dark Parties trailer, Sara's US publisher Little, Brown did for the book.

The publication of Dark Parties in the UK, has been moved to 29th December, and is gathering a host of great reviews, too many to include all of them here. To find out what readers are saying about Dark Parties, visit the news page on Sara's website. Here's a taster for now:

"With vivid imagery and realistically portrayed teen angst and emotions, Grant creates a believable, if horrifying, world peopled with interesting and well developed characters...There are plenty of twists and turns. The conclusion is satisfying but leaves things open for a sequel, which should seriously be considered. Grant is a debut author to watch." – Library Media Connection

“Dark Parties started out SO freaking awesome!...This book is fast paced and WICKED suspenseful! Yet really romantic, sweet and sensual... There's death, betrayal and most of all hope.” -- The Bookish Brunette

“I have to say that it was probably Grant’s writing style that truly drew me in; I was hooked by the way she was able to so perfectly captures the uncertainty, fear, and longing in Neva’s life, all in just the first chapter. Then she continued to reel me in closer to the heart of the story with such impeccable pacing and plotting until the very satisfying conclusion. Dark Parties is so much more than a mere summary of review can every do justice. It drags up old ideas and forces the reader to really examine them closely. This is one of those rare books that provides both thrilling entertainment and a good reason to reevaluate one’s outlook and values.” -- The Book Muncher

“I absolutely loved this book. I could not put it down for anything, and when I was not reading it, I was thinking about it. Grant creates a very believable world, and such strong characters.” – Books Complete Me

“Don't expect to get anything done while reading it because it's INTENSE! And fabulous. It's exactly the way any dystopian should be.” – Candace’s Book Blog

Bryony and Savita were both off promoting their books at the time of writing, so we'll have to catch up with their news next time. All that remains is to wish you all the best – enjoy the rest of the summer (of course it's raining outside as I write this!) and hope to see you soon.

Where do your ideas come from?

Edge author Dave Cousins considers why he is drawn to write edgy fiction. 

Where do your ideas come from? is probably the most common question asked of writers, and one that many will struggle to answer. Not me. I know exactly where my stories originate: a metal box on my desk called the Word Tin. It contains all the words I need, stamped into small strips of metal, like dog-tags. To build a story, I simply delve into the box, pull out a handful of words and put them in the right order – easy. 

The Word Tin: Where the words come from

I’m joking, of course – though the tin is real, and I have once or twice tried the technique. (It produced some interesting if not exactly publishable results.) But where do ideas for stories come from? How do we choose which stories to tell? Does choice even come into it? I certainly don’t sit down and think. ‘Right! Now I’m going to write some edgy fiction.’ Why don’t I tell stories about boy wizards or teenage spies – vampires even? I’m a big fan of Philip Reeve’s Mortal Engines series and will happily spend an evening reading about Neutrino-toting fairies, but when I sit down to write, that’s not what appears on the page.

The late great (and edgy) Robert Cormier

For me, Robert Cormier summed it up perfectly when he said, ‘to work for me, an idea must be attached to an emotion, something that upsets, dazzles or angers me and sends me to the typewriter’. The spark that sent me to my notebook to scribble the start of the story that became 15 Days without a Head, came from something I witnessed in a pub one afternoon. A very drunk woman arguing with a stranger at the next table – much to the embarrassment of her sons. It made me wonder what life was like for those two boys, what would happen when they got home. 

It takes time to write and revise a novel, and I find that if the characters and their story don’t mean anything to me, they won’t sustain my interest through the months of writing. If you care, it also brings with it a sense of responsibility, a desire to do justice to the characters and their story, which can be a great motivation – especially in those dark hours encountered with every novel, where the story won’t come and you find yourself reaching for the Word Tin! 

Last week, Bryony talked about edgy fiction dealing with unsettling, uncomfortable ideas. Look at all the Edge story synopses and you’ll find a wide range of tales that have one thing in common: they all deal with realities that are hard to face, things we would rather not think about: knife crime, child abduction, prejudice and torture, abandonment, deception and coercion. 

But these are the subjects that excite and unsettle me, that gnaw away at my subconscious, disturb my daydreams and keep me awake at night – the things that drive me to the typewriter. 

15 Days without a Head by Dave Cousins, is out in January 2012, published by Oxford University Press.